http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/20439/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/26572/ 2011-07-01T00:00:00Z Chromosomal rearrangements that result in high expression levels of the ETS-related gene (ERG) present in approximately 50% of prostate cancer (PCa) patients, making this one of the most common oncogenic alterations in PCa. However, ERG overexpression at the protein level has not been rigorously evaluated in Japanese PCa patients. In this study, we evaluated ERG expression using antibody-based detection in 230 prostate specimens in a Japanese PCa cohort. Overall, we identified 20.1% ERG-positive PCa cases. ERG was not detected in benign glands. The specificity of ERG staining for detecting PCa was almost 100%; all of the ERG-positive samples were also diagnosed as PCa. The expression level of the ERG protein correlated with clinicopathological variables, including grade (P= 0.038), stage (P= 0.005), and metastatic status (P= 0.014). No correlation was observed with age (P= 0.196) or with preoperative prostate-specific antigen level (P= 0.322). Although the frequency of ERG-positive cases in Japanese PCa patients (20.1%) was lower than that reported in a PCa cohort in Western countries (approximately 50%), our study demonstrates that the clinical utility of ERG detection at the protein level can serve as an ancillary tool for diagnosing PCa in the Japanese population. © 2011 The Authors. Pathology International http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16995/ 2009-10-01T00:00:00Z Context: Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) refers to patients who no longer respond to surgical or medical castration. Standard treatment options are limited. Objective: To review the concepts and rationale behind targeted agents currently in late-stage clinical testing for patients with CRPC. Evidence acquisition: Novel targeted therapies in clinical trials were identified from registries. The MEDLINE database was searched for all relevant reports published from 1996 to October 2009. Bibliographies of the retrieved articles and major international meeting abstracts were hand-searched to identify additional studies. Evidence synthesis: Advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying prostate cancer (PCa) progression has translated into a variety of treatment approaches. Agents targeting androgen receptor (AR) activation and local steroidogenesis, angiogenesis, immunotherapy, apoptosis, chaperone proteins, the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway, RANK-ligand, endothelin receptors, and the Src family kinases are entering or have recently completed accrual to phase 3 trials for patients with CRPC. Conclusions: A number of new agents targeting mechanisms of PCa progression with early promising results are in clinical trials and have the potential to provide novel treatment options for CRPC in the near future.